Ballet dancer Pavel Dmitrichenko , often cast as the villain in Bolshoi Ballet productions , is now the lead defendant in a plot worthy of a Tchaikovsky score .

The 29-year-old allegedly choreographed an attack intended to blind Bolshoi artistic director Sergei Filin , the man who put him in the roles of Ivan the Terrible and Swan Lake 's evil genius .

The mystery of who threw sulfuric acid into Filin 's face in January has captivated Russians and kept Moscow detectives busy probing rivalries within Russia 's renowned 240-year-old ballet company .

It might well send Hollywood literary agents and producers scrambling for story details as described by police reports and local media accounts .

Police declared their case was solved this week with a confession by Dmitrichenko

Russian police question suspect in Bolshoi director 's acid attack

`` I organized this attack but not to the extent that it happened , '' he is heard saying in a video released by police .

The characters in this drama include Dmitrichenko 's girlfriend , Anzhelina Vorontsova . She has not been charged , but local newspapers quote ballet members as saying Dmitrichenko was angry because he thought Filin was stifling her career .

Two alleged co-conspirators have been detained : Alleged hit man Yuri Zarutsky -- a burly , bearded Russian who was previously convicted of beating someone to death -- and Andrey Lipatov , who allegedly drove the getaway car after Zarutksy 's battery acid attack on Filin .

While the final act must still play out in a Russian courtroom , the story opens in the nearly two-century-old Bolshoi Theatre .

Act 1 - The Bolshoi Theatre

Ballet is a world where competition is fierce , and where the artistic director wields considerable influence in making or breaking careers .

Filin , 42 , was promoted to the Bolshoi Theatre 's coveted post in March 2011 , shortly after the deputy ballet director , Gennady Yanin , who was widely seen as a favorite for the artistic director post , resigned when pornographic pictures of him surfaced online .

There was `` fierce rivalry '' for the Bolshoi position at the time , according to the RIA Novosti news agency .

That year , two dancers quit , unhappy with the direction the ballet had taken .

Another dancer , Nikolai Tsiskaridze , loudly criticized Filin for going over budget in the ballet 's multimllion-dollar renovation .

Tsiskaridze , incidentally , was also a contender for the artistic director job that Filin got .

But beyond professional disagreements , sinister factors were also at play .

Act 2 - The Streets of Moscow

RIA Novosti reported that before the attack , Filin suffered months of intimidation , including threatening phone calls .

Someone slashed his car tires . Somebody also attempted to hack his Facebook page .

The trio of conspirators obtained battery acid at a car parts store , and made the acid stronger by evaporating the water from it , police said .

Dmitrichenko , who studied Filin 's schedule , called Lipatov and Zarutsky when he saw Filin leave the theater on the cold night of January 17 , police said .

As Filin entered the security code at the door of his Moscow apartment , authorities say , Zarutsky confronted him and tossed the sulfuric acid into his face . It caused third-degree burns and left him blinded .

Act 3 - Moscow Police Headquarters

Detectives pored over interviews with those who knew Filin and had suspicions about who would harm him . Other clues led them to several cell phones that Dmitrichenko had registered in other people 's names , according to a police statement .

Calls from those phones led investigators to Lipatov , the alleged driver .

`` I did n't see what happened there , '' Lipatov told them in a video released by police . `` I just took Yuri there , waited for him and gave him a lift back . ''

When an interrogator asked Zarutsky about the crime , he allegedly said , `` I do n't want to talk about it . ''

Police concluded a `` hostile relationship '' stemming from Dmitrichenko 's professional interaction with Filin was his motive .

Bolshoi Prima ballerina 's grace under pressure

Act 4 - A Moscow Court

The three men faced a judge Thursday , who ordered that they be kept in police custody until the investigation is over .

If convicted , the attackers could face up to eight years in jail for willfully inflicting damage on the health of another .

It may take at least six months for Filin to recover from the burns .

In the meantime , Galina Stepanenko , a former principal dancer , will run the company .

She says she 's going to follow Filin 's plans and she believes the dancers will now be united by greater respect and care for each other .

Doctors performed a skin graft on Filin and , after a second eye surgery , they were able to save his sight .

His colleagues are now working to ensure his artistic vision is n't lost .

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Judge orders all three men to be held in police custody

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`` I organized this attack , but not to the extent that it happened , '' dancer says

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Police say the motive was a `` hostile relationship ''

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State media : Filin had suffered intimidation , including threatening phone calls